The truth is, the Bob Sanders reclamation project in San Diego never had much of a chance. He was an All-Pro in 2005, in just his second season with the Colts. But over the next five years, he played in just 52 out of a possible 80 regular-season games. That span did include another All-Pro season in 2007, when he was named the league's defensive player of the year. But his name has basically been found in the fine print of the league's weekly injury report ever since.

Sanders famously admitted that his playing style—his willingness to throw his 5-foot-8 frame around a field full of much larger people—had contributed to his knack for getting hurt. The San Diego Union-Tribune described the Chargers' acquisition of him for this season as an "experiment," which indeed it was. Sanders, the paper said this afternoon, "is concerned about his knee not allowing him to play at a high level as he has in the past." It's unlikely another team will take a chance on him now. Which is probably a good thing for a guy, who, given the beating he took over the years, will likely someday face a more serious decline than that of his playing abilities.